Slug-vending machine



Nov. A11 1924:v 1,514,598

F. L. BEEAN SLUG VENDING MAGHI'NE Filed April 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet lNov. 1l 1924. 1,514,598

F. L. BEEAN SLUG VENDING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheer 2`Patente Nov. ll, i924.

FRANK L. BEEAN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 ERNEST H. KOBERGER, 0F

CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

SLUG-VENDING MACHINE.

after the insertion of a nickel therein willl effect the ejection ordischarge of a telephone slug and the return of a nickel for the slug,in case the purchaser is unable to use the telephone, by inserting theslug into the machine and operating the same.

Another object of my invention is to make the machine simple inconstruction and comparatively small and compact in size so that it maybe conveniently used adjacent public or other telephones or set upon thecashiers desk in a retail store or other establishment for theconvenience of patrons andalso to save the time of the cashier inselling slugs and returning nickels for slugs when telephone callscannot be made.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described andmore particularly 4set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. l isa perspective view of a slugvendmg machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the machine to therear of the actuating mechanism and looking at the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of said mechanism at one side vof the machineand in position showing a slug or nickel, as the case may be, ejectedinto the discharge chute lat the bottom of the machine,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 4 4 ofFig. 2;

Figs. 5 'and 6 are fragmentary vertical sectional views taken on lines 55` and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the ejector plates;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken through' the machine to theArear of the nickel and slug hoppers and looking toward the same; and

Fig. 9 is a view of a detail of construc- .tlon to be hereinafterdescribed. The machine of my invention, as shown in the drawings,comprises an outside caslng having front and rear walls 1, 2, endwallsr3, 3, and top and bottom walls 4, 5. The latter are removablekfrom the casing for filling the supply hoppers with nickels and slugsand for removing the collected nickels and slugs from the collectingchambers, to be hereinafter described. These walls are normally held inplace by a locking rod 6 extending through the casing from top to bottomand engaging both of said walls. A

Inside the casing are two vertical chutes 7, 8 secured to the front wall1, as shown in the drawings.

and the one 8 for slugs. The upper ends 7, 8a of these chutes areseparate from the mam portions of the chutes and are offset inwardlytherefrom, as shown in Fig. 2.

These upper portions 7, 8a open upwardly.

through the top wall 4 of the casing, and

the latter is provided' with nickel and slug receiving slides 9, 10,respectively. The slide 10 for the slug chute 8 is equipped with a slugprotector 11 vso that only slugs of a certain design ma be inserted inthe machine. The chutes g, 8 are formed in part by the front wall 1 andthis is provided at each chute with a sight opening .covered by a glasspanel 12 held in place by a frame 13. These sight openings allow a viewto be had of a certain number of slugs and nickels in the chutes.

, Pivoted to the front wall 1 on the inside thereof are two members 14,14. These are arranged beneath the upper ends 7 a, 8a of the chutes andeach has a concave recess .15

therein vto receive and hold the nickles and slugs when dropped into thechutes through the respective slides 9 and 10. The shafts 16,16 on`which these members 14, 14 are mounted vextend through the front wall 1and are there provi ed with operating handles 17 and 18, as clearlyshown in Fig.

1. To normally hold the members 14, 14 .in

positions to receive the coinsand slugs spring 19 extending between anand constituting a continuation for the chutes 7, 8 to their upper endportions 7, 8, respectively.

For each member 14, 14 there 1s a dog 21 pivoted at one end between theplate 2() and the front wall 1. The dogs 21 are normally held in thepath of swinging movement of the outer ends of the members 14 bystoppins 22, 22, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When a nickel or slug, as thecase may be, in dropped into the machine onto one of the members 14,thenickel or slug resting in the recess 15 projects beyond the outer end.of the member 14 so that when the latter is swung by its handle towardthe vertical portion of the chute, the nickel or slug will first come incontant with the dog- 21, raise it on its pivot and allow the member 14to be swung far enough to discharge the nickel or slug into theassociated vertical portion of the chute, as shown in Fig. 3, and

operate the ejector mechanism, to be hereinafter described andassociated with said member 14.V Should a coin or disc, such as a inFig. 9, smaller than the nickel or slug be dropped into the machine, thesmall size coin or disc would not project far enough fromthe carryingmember 14 to raise the` dog 21,vl with the result that the carryingmember would be stopped on contact with said dog, before being swung farenou h to operate the ejector mechanism, but Wou d discharge the smallercoin a into'the chute.

Located in the casing to the rear of the chutes 7 and 8, are twolioppers 23, 24 designed to hold a supply of nickels and slugs,

the nickels being in the former and the slugs in the-latter. Each hopperis provided with a vertical outlet chute 25, 25 openingfat its lower endinto an upright tubular projection 26 on a horizontal plate 27-extending across the machine. Spaced below this plate is a horizontalplate 28 to provide aslidewa eac )hopper chute 25.

Each slide 29 is provided with an aperture or hole 30 ada ted to bemoved into and out of register wit the bottom of the respective hopperchute 25 and of a size to receive the coin )or slug, vas the case maybe, in the associated hopper chute. :The slide 29 is pro- "videdfwith anupwardly projecting lug 31 to which is pivoted a link 32. The upper endof this link is pivot'ed to the lower end of a swinging arm A33, whichin turn is pivoted at its upper end to a bracket 34 on the adjacent sidewall 3 of the machine, as shown in Figs.- v2 and 3. The associatedpivoted carrier 14 is provided with a 'depending arm 35 carrying a pin36 operating for the ejector slides. 29, 29, one for in an elongatedslot 37 in a link 38 pivoted at its lower end to the'arm 33 between theends of the latter. The slot 37 rmits the member 14 to be swung intoischarging position before operating the associated ejector slide 29.Thus When a smaller coin,

as a in Fig.'9, is dropped into the nickel chute, said member 14 may bemoved to discharge said coin into the chute 7 without operating theslide 29.

Normally, the ejector slides 29, 29 occupy positions with theirapertures 30 in register with the lower ends of the hopper chutes 25,

25, and the rest of the mechanism occupies the positions shown in Fig.2. When the handle of one of the carriers 14 is turned to deliver a coinor slug to its associated chute 7 or 8, the arm 38 is raised upwardcausing the slide 29 to be moved toward the discharge chute 39 carryingtheI coinl or slug, as the case may be, in its aperture 30 into positionto drop into said discharge chute 39 through an opening 40 in thebottomplate 28, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines inFig. 4. The discharge'chute 39 opens through the front wall 1 of themachine through a vertical slot 41 and into a cup 42, as shown inFig. 1. The discharge chute 39 is common to both hoppers 23, 24, andconsequently nickels and slugs are ejected from the machine into asinglecup 42.

Each ejector slide 29 is provided on one sidewith a projection 43operating under the lower end of its associated coin or slug chute 7 or8 to control the discharge of nickels and slugs from said chutes intocollecting chambers 44, 45 at the bottom of the I when the ejectorplates 29 are operated, I

provide for each of the chutes 7 and 8 a pivoted dog 46, 46. These arepivoted'to a fixed part of the machine casing and have their lower endsextending into the path' of movement of the projections 43 on theejector plates 29. The upper ends of the dogs arc weighted so that theynormally tend to drop into inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 2.Each dog 46 is provided with a forwardly projectn part 47 to extend intothe associated chute g, 8 when the ejector plate 29 isl in positiondischargin a nickel or slug'into the discharge chute 39, as shown inFig. 3, for the purpose of preventing the plurality of -nickels orAslugs in th chute above. the dog from dropping into t e collectingchamber below the particular chute,

the movement of the ejector plate 29 back to i normal position on therelease ofthe operating handle, the dog 46 by its weighted end dropsinward and downward and swings its projection 47 from'the chute andallows the to convey the nickel to the nickel chute 7` and dro it intothe same. In'such movement of the parts, the ejector plate 29 is movedto discharge a slug into the discharge chute 39 and from that the slugrolls out through the slot 41 into the cup 42 at the front of themachine. As soon as the handle 17 is released, the parts immediatelymove back to their normal positions throughl the action of the spring 19to be in readiness for the next nickelinserted in the machine. Thenickel at the bottom of the chute y7 drops into the nickel receivingchamber 44 and the nickel just dropped into the machine appears at thetop of the sight opening of the chute 7 and is visible through a glassplate 12 over the same, as shown in Fig. 1,. To have a column of nickelsvisible back of the glass plate l2 in the manner just described, thestorekeeper or owner of the machine fills the nickel chute with nickelsto the number required before allowing the,

public to operate the machine. In like manner the slug chute is filledwith slugs, as shown in Fig. 1.

Should the purchaser of the slug find the telephone in use or fail tomake a connection and thus beunable to use the slug, a nickel may besecured from the machine for the slug by inserting the slug into theslug slide 1'0 and turning the handle 18 outward and downward to-actuatethe ejector plate 29 associatedv with that handle and dischargea nickelfrom the hopper 23 into the cup 42 at the bottom jof the machine in thesame manner/as the slug.v` 2

Should a smaller coin, such as a dime or penny, be dropped into themachine through the nickel chute, it will be delivered into the nickelchute 7, without operating the ejector mechanism as heretofore de.

n' ejector side 29` for the nickel chute and desk in a store or otherplace where telephones are used and slugs sold for them. The machinedoes not require the attendance of an operator and thus frees thecashier from selling slugs and returning nickels for unused slugs, asheretofore. The machine is simple in construction, easy to operate, andallows the telephone user to purchase slugs and have nickels returnedfor unused slugs without delay.

While I have shown and described herein in detail a vending machine ofmy invention, it is of course to be understood that the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts may be variously changed andmodilied without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vending machine, the combination of a chute, a hoppe-iganejector for said hopper, said ejector having a part to close the lowerend of said chute, a pivoted member at the entrance end of said chuteand having a concave recess to receive the article dropped into saidchute and for delivering "f the same to the portiony of the chute belowsaid member on turning said member toward said chute, said ejector beingconnected with said member to 'be operated thereby and open the lowerend of said chutewhen ejecting an article from said hopper, and meansoperable through said ejector for preventing the articles above thelowermost one in said chute from dropping through the lower end thereofwhen opened by said ejector.

2. Ina vending machine, the combination of a chute, a hopper, an ejectorfor said hopper, said ejector having a part to close the lower end ofsaid chute, a pivoted member at the entrance end of said chute andhaving a concave recess to receive the article dropped into said chuteand for delivering ythe same to the portion ofthe chute below saidmember on turning said member toward said chute, said ejector beingconnected with said member to be operated thereby and open the lower endof said chute when ejecting an article from said hopper, and a pivoteddog operated by said ejector and having a lpart to project into said.Lchute to prevent the articles above the lowermost one in said chute fromdropping through the lower end thereof when -opened by saidl ejector.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a chute and a hopper, anejector for said hopper, a pivoted member at the entrance end of saidchuten and having a concave recess to receive the article dropped intothe chute and for delivering .the same to the portion of the chutebelowsaid member, an arm pivotedat one end to a fixed part of the machine, alink connecting the lower vend of` the arm to said ejector, a linkpivoted at its lower end'to said arm between its ends and having. anelongated slot at its upper end, an arm on said member and having a pinin said slot, a handle for operating said member, said ejector memberhaving a part movable across the lower end of said chute for dischargingarticles therefrom, and a ivoted dogl operated by said ejector for alowing the dropping of articles one at a. time from the lower end of saidchute.

4. In a vending machine, the combination of a chute and a hopper, anejector for said hopper, a pivoted member at the entrance end of saidchute and having a concave recess to receive the article dropped intothe chute and for delivering the same to the portion of the chute belowsaid l member, a pivoted dog in the path of movement of sald member tostop the same and raised only when the article carried by said memberprojects beyond the same, means connecting said member with said ejectorfor operating the,

latter b the former, and means for actuating sai member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix mysignature, this 28th day of March, A. I). 1922.`

FRANK' L. BEEAN.

